Vulgarity: A snare of satan

Satan attempts to prevent people abiding by Allah’s (God’s) will in a number of ways. One of these is to make people display the kind of behavior known as “vulgarity,” which prevents people exhibiting moral virtues compatible with the Qur’an.

What is “Vulgarity”?

All forms of behavior that conflict with the moral values of the Qur’an harbor an element of vulgarity. In the Qur’an, Allah praises moral virtues, self-sacrifice, humility and submission for believers and condemns selfishness, rebelliousness, bad temper, sentimentality and bad behavior. A Muslim closely bound to the Qur’an is very careful to abide by these commands of Allah’s. But people who have not applied the moral values commanded in the Qur’an to their lives may exhibit ignoble behavior. This behavior may appear when people’s lower selves are thwarted, when they regard themselves as being in the right, when they do not get their way, when they are troubled or when they think selfishly. For example, someone who works the whole day grumbling or complaining about things or watching to see how much work those around him are doing is behavior to which a believer who does everything for Allah’s approval would never stoop.

One form of ignoble behavior is failing to heed advice intended to call them to proper moral values when they have behaved in a manner incompatible with the Qur’an and comparing oneself to other people who display poor moral values and citing them as an example in order to supposedly prove oneself in the right. Sincere believers, on the other hand, know how to avoid future mistakes in the event they make any, heed the good advice and take devout believers as model.

In addition, a believer who fears Allah never forgets that everything is created in destiny and that he must place his trust in Him. He therefore never falls into sentimentality, imagines he has suffered an injustice or becomes angry. Since Allah creates all events, he always exhibits wise behavior compatible with the Qur’an.

The Solution: Noble Behavior Compatible with the Qur’an

As revealed in the Qur’an in the verse “... satan’s scheming is always feeble” (Surat an-Nisa’, 76), it is easy for a person to correct ignoble behavior once he fully abides by the Qur’an. Allah will show His servants who genuinely turn to Him the true path and bestow a feeling of security in their hearts. Therefore, believers must always place their trust in Allah, no matter what arises in their destiny, and must always persevere in behaving virtuously. Allah willing, it is enough to act in the light of one’s conscience, rather than feeling sorrow, becoming angry, thinking one has been disrespected, bothering with minor issues or comparing oneself with someone else possessed of very poor moral values, in order to live virtuously in a manner that will be pleasing to Allah.